Impressive whale skeleton welcomes visitors to Bahrain Science Centre

Bahrain Science Centre, a part of the Ministry of Social Development, has revamped the external look of the building with a giant skeleton of a whale mounted on the top of its entrance archway.

The whale, known by the name of Bryde’s whale, had been washed up on the shore of the King Fahd causeway between Umm an nasan island and the main island about 18 years ago. Bryde’s whales reach a length of about 15 m and appear in warm seas throughout the world.

Bryde’s whales have no teeth but, like the great whales, they have two huge baleen plates in their mouths that they use to sieve small shoaling fishes, such as sardines, anchovies and pilchards. Like all whales, they are air-breathing and rise to the surface every 5-15 minutes to take a gulp of air. They can dive to depths of over 300 m and swim at speeds of 6 to 24 km/h.

Interested visitors can download the weekly programme on the website www.bahrainsciencecentre.com for more information. The Bahrain Science Centre is located in Building 334, Road 109, Block 801, Riyadh Avenue, Isa Town, Kingdom of Bahrain and can be contacted on 17686466